Tezarda IV
Tezarda IV is an Imperial Agri-World located on the frontier-east of the Ultima Segmentum, which has served as a recruiting world for multiple regiments of the Astra Militarum. It is marked by its unique relationship with the Adeptus Mechanicus and a history of infighting. History Foundation The foundation of the Imperial colony began in the year 021 of the 40th Millennium. Discovered by Rogue Trader House redacted, Segmentum command issued the planet, as well as its surrounding sub-sector, to be colonized by the men and women of the Cadian 101st Regiment and any willing Imperial citizens wishing to join the militia- with the understanding that the planets were already inhabited by multiple hostile xenos races, such as the redacted; 'not to mention a group of unknown humans never before connected to the Imperium. Such an offer attracted a various sort of imperials, either unwanted by their own worlds or just seeking to find new lives for their families. Thus a small crusade (given the moniker "Scourge of 'redacted") went in to effect, and the surviving members of the fighting were given plots of land for them and their families to tend. Although originally these humans native to these many worlds were to be exterminated as completely as the xenos they shook appendages with, later the newly-sanctified Imperial Saint known to her men of arms as the Hero of Corrun changed the minds of the Imperial commanders and instead insisted that these people be merged into the Great Imperium of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Some local rulers who sided with the Imperium early on in the war kept a certain degree of power in heavily regulated sections, but control over the entirety of the planet was given over to the Lieutenant which commanded the Imperial forces during the later end of the planet's annexation; Minor-Saint Redacted. However, after her death, a misunderstanding as to who was next in command led to friction between many of the colonial factions, loosely separated by their planets of origin. Concerns such as the proper imperial cult, what crops and livestock to import, correct form of government (if any), and many other issues polarized the pressured populace into several factions. Although never formally going to war, many small skirmishes and riots are documented to have taken place over the course of the following years, serving only to further divide these groups, and push the native lords further into their own mandated seclusion. Meeting the Mechanicus Following a few short centuries of minimal contact with the rest of the Imperium, a sizable Mechanicus fleet came into orbit of the planet whom were, curiously, readying colonization over their already-claimed world. After a frustrated back and forth of diplomacy, it became evident that due to Tezarda IV and III's close orbit, a minor error of the Adeptus Administratum's logging led to Tezarda IV being listed as one of the planets still left unpopulated in the system. It is unknown why the Mechanicus pressed so hard for Tezarda IV, as they had already extended their influence greatly in the galactic north and east of Dystia. Eventually, the arguments would soon escalate to a real possibility that the Mechanicus would forcibly take the world for itself. However, after a secretive deal with the planetary governor Adorana Uristus and tech priest Sharvek Sodenemis, the Mechanicus fleet terminated all further attempts to turn all fertile soil into their more favorable rusted red. And in exchange, Tezarda IV gives the Mechanicus operative access to almost a quarter of the entire surface of the planet. What resulted after the next decades was a planet of almost purely agrarian fields and hunting grounds, while a large slice of an industrialized workforce of servants to the priests of the Omnissiah offset noticeably from the rest of the lands. These tech priests have been known to scour the caves and caverns of the world for an unknown purpose, but they have also overseen that their hosts obtain the proper equipment they need for their day-to-day rural life. Not all Tezardan locals were happy of this deal, however. Some of the populous were exceptionally adamant of their version of the Imperial cult, and viewed the Mechanicus as nothing short of heretics. These individuals would cause various "organized" riots, but were able to be kept controlled by the Mechanicus on-world. The Teránda Treason The industrialization of Tezarda IV brought with it many a skeptical look from the inquisitive and ever-watching eyes of the Inquisition. As the manufactora were constructed and Skitarii stationed, the Inquisition feared the possibility of Tezarda IV having illusions of secession. Agri worlds, however simple, are vital for the feeding of the Imperial war engine and administration of the Imperium at large; and their very simplicity is their best tie to the Imperium as a whole. Without the Imperium, an agri world would lack vital tools they could not function without, not to mention the security threat that comes from leaving the Empire- and the repercussions of leaving the Empire from the Imperium itself. But with the industrialization of Tezarda IV, it would be, for far longer a time than any planet would deserve for such treason, able to survive if secession were dared considered. Such an idea came too to the mind of a Teránda Augusta Epepál, the noble administrator of the Earnisto territory, who would soon come to a level of authority rivaling that of Planetary Governor Niché Gorte LXII. Following his death from mysterious circumstances, Teránda would successfully gain Planetary Governance. Teránda was as a politician known for gaining favor mostly from native Tezardian agricultural nobles and a few of those Tech priests who industrialized the lands they were given; one of the very few Tezardian politicians able to gain favor from both groups. Such a powerful figure rising to power so fast alerted the Inquisition, who were now forlorn for a ready solution, but not enough to prepare a more immediate one involving an agent of the Ordo Assassinorum. Such a relief was found, oddly enough, in the Shrine world of Wäture Verus, orbiting the star which included that of Tezarda IV's in a binary system. Up to this point, the Ecclesiarchy had petitioned approval for an allocation of funds to increase the efficiency of the planet's regimental output, due to their outstanding history in participating in crusades; a petition accepted by the Astra Militarum yet vetoed by the Inquisition, in a limitation of the Ecclesiarchy's control over Dystia. But with the threat of treason near enough to Wäture Verus, and the possibility of the Adeptus Mechanicum spreading influence even further, the Inquisition decided to withdraw their reservations. This withdraw could not come at a moment too soon. The Inquisition received intel that suggested their very own Valkyries were attacking their temporary base upon the surface of Tezarda IV. They quickly mobilized the Wäture 26th Regiment to take down whatever threat that had compromised their security detail, fearing their assumptions were correct. Strangely, however, relief to their base first came not from the 26th, but the Skitarii already on the surface. Having crippled the air superiority of the Tezardian rebels, they left the rest of the combat to the Wäture 26th as they returned what technology remained from the fight to be blessed in their Vault Temples. The only communicae they sent to the Inquisition afterwards was a message log stating simply, "Rebels cleared; praise the Omnissiah." The Inquisition, satisfied with the demonstration of their security protocol, withdrew from the sector in search of the myriad of heresies left for them to uncover, telling unto the Sectorial Governor that, in the event of another rebellion, the "Fanatics would handle it." Records are muddy on whatever happened to Teránda after the battle. Some say she piloted the leading Valkyrie, and was the last to fall, forming a flaming tear in the sky. Others say she retreated into the Ghannan Jungle, creating the foundation of yet another rebel faction. One count claimed the theft of her enshrined skull in a raid into the jungle, but various sources refute this claim. The Foenam Compromise A rather short chapter in Tezarda IV's history, the Foenam Compromise was a deal between Lord Patricio Coravis and the Foenam Tiefdom, where the PDF of Foenam would take care of an insurrection on Coravis' private island of Halcado, in exchange for limiting the power of the Foenam's dual rivals in the Aldoran tiefdom and the Mechanicus once he became Planetary Governor, knowing full well of Coravis' thirst for power. The current Governor had lost a tremendous holding of power after the many rebel raids into the Mechanicus drained his PDF in defending them. He was seen as weak, and this wasn't ignored by his rivals. Once Coravis did eventually take his seat he kept his word, and his totalitarian regime severely limited the Aldoran tiefdom's freedoms. However, for his other promise, he soon realized just how much autonomy the Mechanicus had with their so-called "embassy". The maintenance of their machines created many a job for local Tezardans, and with the simple localization, the embassy gave the planet access to direct trade with forge worlds within Dystia and even beyond; not to mention that the Tezardians born within the embassy made up an extensive part of the PDF themselves. The Mechanicus presence in Tezarda was just too influential to cut in any significant way. As such, Coravis resorted in the simple restriction of growth allowed to the Embassy. He believed this wouldn't sour his relations with either the Mechanicus or Foenam in any significant way in the short future. Rebellion of Aldoras Of the many riots noted to take place, this was undoubtedly the most successful. After the control of the planet shifted to the more authoritarian Patricio Coravis, a group of radicals from loose origins of the planet Badlanding, as well as a few native Tezardans located along the Aldoras mountains, took advantage of the various riots other coalitions of anti-Mechanicus groups caused. These rebels, armed with the weaponry of the PDF they "re-purposed", held off the planetary governor's forces long enough to get a message to the Mechanicus embassy. It is unknown what the message was, but the PDF born from the mechanized cities were all sent back to "defend the embassy". With the loss of a large sum of his army, the planetary governor retreated with his remaining men to his personal bunker, signaling for any Imperial forces to assist in this rebellion. When Imperial forces were available, they came down to the surface; finding that the planetary capital had moved, but were still providing their tithes on time. Effectively, the Aldoran revolutionaries forced Coravis to relinquish power to one of their own, and upon giving the Mechanicus some minor land grants to "give some well-needed defensive ground", resumed their service to Tezarda IV and Terra, becoming once again "model Imperial citizens". ''The Rebels of Zarachos'' Clearly, the success of this revolution was heavily reliant on the groups' willingness to work with the mechanicus in a way that didn't attract heavy attention from the Empire; however, most other rebels forget of this fact when planning their coups and, in an ironic twist of events, many anti-mechanicus rebellion groups actually cite the rebellion of Aldoras as proof of their mission's future success- as they believe such an underdog story, with some exceptions on exact details, resonates with them on such a high level. One such group that has united many other like-minded revolutionaries are the rebels of Zarachos, composed mainly of hunters, farmers and grazers located primarily around the outskirts of the Ghanan forests, united in their desire to uproot the mechanicus from their planet. The word "united" is used in the loosest of the sense; as Imperial records indicate these may simply be bandits looking to take control of small towns, or lead raids against the mechanicus' embassies for their technological wonders. Despite multiple war expeditions by the PDF into their territory, they still remain active; and have been so through multiple shifts of governance, waiting for their turn of power. Green Tide In 915.M40, A massive ork Waaagh was accumulating under the powerful, verbose Warboss known by many as Rullagh. Under his banner, the "Greatest Waaagh of Warboss Rullagh the Similarly Great" swept into Dystia's western side of the galaxy, reaching so far as the outskirts of the sizable Forettan system; including the Tezardan system in its formidable scale. With the support of outside Imperial forces and the treacherous nature of the orks themselves, the Green Tide was able to be pushed so far back as the systems of Dorrus and Anahi, where the Sub-sector as a whole would better have a chance of keeping them at bay. A Breach in Trust However, as many a former Imperial planet knows, the ork menace is a difficult one to take out completely. The majority of Tezarda IV was deemed safe enough from ork spores as the hot, orange Tezardan sun radiated on all of her deserts managed to simply kill them by exposure. It was similarly believed that any spores within the forest-side would be killed off by the many vicious creatures within its lush depths; especially the humans themselves that roamed there. But during the ork attacks, the massive roks the orks invaded from battered the vast Araftan dessert; not only allowing the orks shade for their spores to grow, but breaching access to the massive underground network that only the Mechanicus know the true extent of. Legions of Skitarii sent by the neighboring realms controlled directly by the mechanicus descended upon the surface of the agrarian planet and once again into the dark undergrowth unknown to the majority of its populous. However, the more the mechanicus slew, the more the beasts drove out into the surface. This gave the PDF a clear problem when it came to fending off the ravenous, rampaging raiders, making off with their foodstuff and using it to fuel not only the appetite of their largest of nobz, but the techno-barbaric vehicles designed from the minds of their crudely-brilliant mechboyz; inspired by the curious designs the mechanicus had apparently hid under Tezardan soil. Due to their presence elsewhere, the Tezarda IV 1st regiment was unable to come to the assistance of their own world, although Tezarda III sent in their own Defense Forces due to their close proximity, and relations overall. Such an event brought Zaracho activity abnormally high as well. Not only was the Mechanicus threat occupied, but they had lost what trust planetary governor Halcenta Kornas had in them, already low due to their former loyalty to the previous rule of power. This allowed the people on the surface the time they desperately needed until the Uristus III 7th regiment could arrive for further assistance after freeing their home Uristus system from their own ork infestation. By the time the Mechanicus scoured the entirety of the green menace from their secretive laboratories, the battles overhead had already done outstanding damage to the surface. Many civilian lives were lost; a majority of which being the non-Admech Tezardans. Although a few Skitarii stayed on-surface alongside the Tech priests of Tezarda IV to further help their neglected hosts, the majority of them left to their own planets, seeing their duties done. Law of the None At the point of complete scouring of the hated ork, the Zaracho rebels once again fled back to their hideouts within the Ghanan forest; their favor with Kornas not so withstanding to go against the Mechanicus' withstanding influence wedged deeply in Tezarda IV's governance. Yet nonetheless, the people of Tezarda IV; from the simple gatherers of the Daraksis Jungle to the noble houses overlooking the farm workers of Halcado; were beginning to loose good opinion of the Adeptus. Instead, the free nature of the Zarachos took captive of the population's imagination. For a long time Tezarda has gone by with limited watch from any sort of Authority over them. Their ancestors came to the world for that freedom they once held in their very palms; but when the Mechanicus demanded to enter their world, they allowed it. The many raids of the lawless Zaracho on their small towns were conveniently forgotten, and made way for the betrayal, in their eyes, of the secretive worshipers of the Omnissiah. Blue Scare At the opening of the 41st millennium, the entire sub-sector of Dystia was beginning to fear a very new and very real threat to the Eastern Fringes; the T'au Empire. At the dawn of their 2nd sphere of expansion, this alien superpower was encroaching eerily close to their lonely, isolated area of space. To counter, the several forge worlds began an increase of production of flak armor and lasgun weaponry to arm the PDF in case of invasion, causing an influx of such equipment which in turn fed into the many other planets through trade, and the planetary governors were pressured into training a somewhat above average PDF to effectively use the equipment. However, Sectorial administration was fearful of not only multiple PDF of equal caliber to entire guard regiments, but on planets so close to annexation by Tau. In response, the best half of all PDF were drafted off their worlds and put into use within the Astra Militarum. This in combination of the recently mandated re-categorization of the civilized planets Uristus IV and Foretta IX located at the galactic far west and far east of Dystia (respectively) into fortress worlds, in effect, addressed the fears of T'au forces taking Dystia by focusing all local protection to where it could do the best job at it, while also dismantling a potential risk to the Imperium at large. Unsurprisingly, this caused some hostility by the locals now in need of raising even more PDF at mandated lower quality; but now, entire guard regiments could be called upon to address any concerns of invasion or, even worse, rebellion. To discourage the later, the Officio Propagandae went hard at work to ensure to every imperial citizen in Dystia that the threat of invasion was very real. In fact, this reorganization was the best way to ensure that not only they would be the safest, but that it was now more important than ever to watch the other planets very carefully for their potential heresies. What they wanted every planet and, in turn, their regiments to think (more so than usual) is that any one of them could slowly be turning to their ways against The Emperor, and needed to be put under the highest of watch. As a result, if there ever was a rebellion that needed squashing, a regiment not of that planet could happily get called in to do their job and not feel a shared sectorial brotherhood with their victims. Such a system was already partially in place with the systems of Wäture and Tezarda, so this propaganda didn't change their relations all that much, the relation of the binary stars already soured; but this did have some affect in trade; something Tezarda was heavily reliant upon. In 742.M41, all fears were eventually realized. in the closely-neighboring Lithesh sector of contested space, the Damocles crusade went in full effect. Many regiments were sent in to cleanse the xenos from their planets and bring the human populous back into the folds of the Imperium. Included in the crusade was the Infantry Tezarda IV 1st, 4th, and 9th regiment, and they provided many trained men and women to hold the lines; as well as the home cooking to strengthen morale, and respect of the Machine Spirit to handle all equipment entrusted to them. Commander Earnista would document the success the 4th had in being able to attack and disengage the Ta'u's own similar hit and run tactics, but she and the majority of her regiment still would fall in the war. After the close of the war in 743.M41, it was then realized just how dangerous this new threat was; and how important it was that they did not get any closer to Tezardan, or even Dystian, space. ''The Blue Threat'' At the close of the Damocles Gulf Crusade, Sectorial intelligence received and, with the help of the Ordo Dialogous, interpreted a T'au transmittion searching for every unaccounted Cadre. Believing the transmission to be in essence a list of the dead, Sectorial intelligence wrote off the transmission as nothing more than a list of Imperial victories. Half a decade later, a Tezardan trading ship would locate stray T'au warships headed towards Dystian space. Panicked, the planet of Tezarda IV would send the newly-founded Tezarda IV 3rd regiment towards their distress signal with trading vessels, not signaling to the surrounding planets of the threat in confusion. They knew it bordered on treason for a mere Agri World to send an entire regiment in secret, but they had to make sure not only that their people were safe, but that the income of their agricultural workers would be collected. However, they did not expect to be hit by a sudden Picarran attack. Without time to make contact, ships from both systems found themselves in an all-out naval battle, keeping the Tezardans from reaching their vessels on time. After the engagement, the Picarrans claimed to have also sent their ships to thwart the rebellion, mistaking the Tezardans as fellow rebels, due to their rebellious history. By the time the regiment was able to assist loyalist forces of the Foretta regiments on the planetary systems of Carranza, Yithandor, and Barthe, it was too late. Dystia as a whole felt a heavy toll as almost half of the sub-sector in its north-eastern corner of space fell into the hands of T'au commander redacted's cadre- ten stars and all of their planets now preach the poetics of the so-called "Greater Good". Tezarda IV 3rd Regiment was present in the defensive effort, but without outside support due to the nearby attack of Hive Fleet Gorgon drawing more critical attention to all forces, the T'au threat could only be contained. Tezarda IV would never again quite trust the regiments of Picarra VI. Even the Tech Priests within the embassy grew wary working collaboratively with the Picarran mechanicus fleets. Locust Swarm After losing almost half of its sectorial neighborhood, Tezarda, as well as the other remaining systems, went under a heavier series of organization. The regiments from Tezarda IV specifically petitioned hard for the Mechanicus fleet to grant them vehicles they needed to keep mobile enough to combat the T'au's infamous targeting of supply lines. It was the Tezardan IV 4th Rapid Reconnaissance Regiment and its Commander Nocturne Vallés, who had studied the writings of Commander Earnista of the prior 4th regiment, that would prove instrumental in multiple retaliation strikes against the T'au as well as the defense against the incoming minor Ork raids that unfolded the next odd 20 years. It was at that point that the T'au in-sector would unfold their next expansion into their galactic south, and once again brought the focused attention of all neighboring imperial forces. But in the later stages of the second greatest Tau-Human war in Dystia, both sides had to draw their forces back after the remnants of Hive Fleet Gorgon were drawn to the sector. This terrible invasion brought the support of multiple Imperial forces; including entire companies of various Astartes chapters. This marked the first time for many of the home regiments, Tezarda IV included, where they would be fighting alongside Space Marines. The extermination of the Tyrannid threat took many years, almost wiping out Tezarda III in the devastation. Some Astartes stayed to ensure the worlds were completely purged, but for the most part, Dystian regiments were tasked of cleansing any genestealer cults left behind. Neither the Imperium nor the T'au forgot the other was there, but were at the time too weak to fight the other. The T'au dealt with the Tyranid threat as well, and finished well before the humans had done in kind; and had bragged of doing so. However, this was due mainly because while the Imperial forces were cleansing the genestealer cults, the T'au were unaware of the ones in their own planets. The Imperial side of Dystia, Tezarda especially, had grown up to this point an intense hatred for the T'au. It is possible that they did not know of the genestealer cults that would later attack the T'au when they were most vulnerable. But it is possible they did. The Opening of the Great Rift It was the closing of the 41st Millennium. Abaddon's 13th cursed Black Crusade was raging upon the world of Cadia once more. However, having just recovered from a Tyrannic infestation- just after the Greater Good encroached into its territory- Dystia as a whole did not contribute much to the defense of one of the Imperium's precious jewels; Tezarda IV was no exception. And yet, the entirety of the Imperium felt Cadia's fall. The Great Rift split the entire galaxy a twain. half of the Imperium was no longer in connection with the other, and that other half now loses the guidance of His Holy Astronomicon; meaning that warp travel just became all the more dangerous. Dystia is now a part of that half. The system of Tezarda was just north enough to be outside of the Great Rift's opening, taking an entire eighth of the sector inside the Warp's newest mouth. Despite this, many terrible warp rifts opened upon the surface of the Tezardan planets. The PDF were terrified by these warp anomalies, and the sheer Daemons that came out of them, but they did their best in repelling them. If it weren't for the veterans of the Tezarda IV 2nd regiment on the surface and the Tech Priests' skitarii warriors, the planet would've been lost; as lost as its neighbor Tezarda III, becoming destroyed in the panic. Billions upon billions of loyal Imperial souls were now satiating the unquenching appetite of the sheer extra-cosmic energies of the Warp. but the systems to Tezarda's immediate south had fallen hard into the whispers of Chaos' promises. Facing multiple attacks from heretical pirates and even traitorous regiments of guard, most of the extant regiments of Tezarda fought hard to push these raiders as far back as their ships could allow. Fortunately, their relationship with the Mechanicus proved to be fruitful in this regard. Indeed, they knew that if they weren't to support their suicide run, not only would the citizens learn of the taint of Chaos, but their forges would become unmanned in the foreseeable future. And what's more, now that the laws upon Tezarda IV were becoming weaker in the panic, this was the perfect time for many Tech Priests to begin reasoning to the citizens that it's time they receive the planet they so selflessly protected. Outside of Tezarda IV, the rest of the regiments once again found themselves needing to work with the other surviving planets of Dystia to repel not only these heretics, but to deal with the massive Ork Waaagh that had just united in the far western reaches of Dystia. However, this infestation might, curiously, not be the worst thing to face at this time. Fortunately for them, the Imperial forces have seen that the Ork Waaagh has, for the most part, actually been ignoring their territories and heading straight into the Chaotic Reaches. This gave the Imperial forces enough time to discover that most of the Space Marine forces inside Dystia were actually still alive. To the silent thrill of their more human allies, these Marines were still stuck in Dystian space when the Great Rift kept them from leaving to the Astronomicon's light. Although not even making an entire chapter's worth of Marines altogether, the Astartes forces proved vital in Dystia's efforts to, simply, remain alive. At the end of this all, Dystia may just remain standing. The people there are simply too stubborn to fall. After all, they've learned from the best. Geography The planetary biomes of Tezarda IV are rather diverse, although some features are more prevalent than others. The many deserts are more vast and widespread, but nearer the equator are the great and exotic jungles that to this day remain largely unexplored; simply due to their seemingly in-navigable expanses. Parts of both dominating biomes have since been built over by the Mechanicus for their "embassy" and, also in part with the Mechanicus partnership, almost all of the underground exploratory work has been overseen by high-clearance Tech Priests in its entirety. The Tamed Deserts perhaps the most marked aspect of Tezarda, the many deserts of the planet are rather diverse from one another, ranging from the short, semiarid valleys in-between the Craters of Araftan to the vast emptiness of the dry, blue sands of Earnisto. As such, the farming practices are rather unique around these areas, but for centuries the people who've settled these lands fine-tuned their usage of the land to generate enough food that could both sustain themselves and the Imperium at large. However, the more useless lands have been untouched by the local Tezardan populous ever since their colonization, and haven't been touched until the Mechanicus was granted land rights on these areas. The Wild Jungles Ever since colonization the people of Tezarda knew that attempting to clear the entire jungles of their new planet let alone navigating them would be a costly and futile effort, so they kept them largely intact, only venturing inside them when needed. These forests hide beasts unknown to most of Tezarda, but many hunters make their business hunting not only these mysterious monsters, but also the simple foraging of materials unavailable to the rest of Tezarda. It is even rumored that some of these hunters make bargains with the Redacted that still remain on the planet's surface, bringing back with them items of trade to better gain the products that they need. Something that most researchers and historians of Tezarda IV forget is that there's not a single people of Tezarda that refrains from contact with the rest of the planet, and that such trading between the Tezardans has been a great benefit to the sector of Dystia at large. The Mechanicus 'Embassy' After the deal with the Mechanicus to grant them certain plots of land for their purposes, large sections of Tezarda changed immensely. Such areas were so changed in fact, it wouldn't be fair to not include them in the geographic data of the planet. These heavily urbanized areas grew high into the now blacker skies. The lights they emit made it impossible for some more nomadic groups of herders around their areas to navigate by the stars as they once did, and the pollution they excreted forced some farmers to abandon their old lives and join work in the factories. Although these cases are rare, as the Mechanicus originally settled the more far off areas, it has been enough for certain groups to attack these places of production. As such, the Skitarii and PDF have worked together many times in the past to keep these parts of Tezarda well protected. The Formidable Oceans Not all production of foodstuff happens on the land areas of Tezarda IV. Much of the planetary surface is made up of water, and this was never ignored. Many aqua-naval vessels navigate the waters, with their vast nets scooping below the water surface for small fish-like creatures to ship to the Imperium at large. However, these ships are under constant threat by the great redacted beasts that lurk in packs, far below the ships' eyes- only coming into vision when they're about to strike. As such, a sub-division of PDF has been tasked to accompany these fishing boats to scare off these xenos from stealing Humanity's catch. Flora and Fauna This section requires further research. Please feel free to contribute to these loggings. Do keep in mind that while many lifeforms on Tezarda IV are native of their planet, many more crops and livestock were imported from other Imperial worlds. It is also important to note that while it is possible many of the native life on Tezarda are similar enough to early Terran life to suggest they were imported during the Dark Age of Technology, due to the lack of efforts by the Adeptus Administratum, these plants, animals, etc. are still considered native to Tezarda IV. Native Belontra-''' small fishoid creatures roughly fifteen centimetres in length that feed on algaeoltries- an algae substance itself dangerous to humans, causing the oceans to be dangerous for ships to remain idle for too long. 'Algaeoltries-' an algaeoid substance with the curious property of growing from the bottom of ships that remain idle long enough for them to form; once they do so, it continues to grow until it develops over the entire ship, digesting the former crew. 'Traragraks-' large fishoid creatures the size of most Tezardan aquatic vessels that hunt Belontra and a multitude of similar fishoid creatures. Equally hated and feared by Tezardan locals- the encounter of a Traragrak pod is the subject of a local Tezardan song titled "Five Traragraks ate my Groxen". It is rather popular among Tezardans, although considered too annoying, short, and repetitive of a song to most other locals of Dystia; to which Tezardans often retort "that's the point". 'Afergos-' Also known as "bug cows", these small insectoid creatures averaging in a metre in size release an almost sweet edible to humans available for harvest every other week. Despite the native Tezardan taboo, some Administrators claim their flesh is edible as well; however, most Imperial troops refuse to (knowingly) test that theory. Due to their adaptability, have been kept in a wide range of varying Tezardan farmlands, and have been exported to Tezarda III with similar success. A more prized breed has been bred to develop an even sweeter tasting secretion, and the product of it is a highly regarded, restricted only to nobles, export. Imported 'Grox-' a large, aggressive reptilian animal which can be found on many an Imperial world. The exact strains of these Grox come from several different worlds, back from the world's frontier history; knowing which exact world a single Grox on Tezarda IV calls its native world is difficult, due to the numerous times just a single beast "looses" its calf for its master to only discover that a neighboring herder has inexplicably gained a new one into their fold. 'Horse- '''A large riding animal used primarily in the most rural of areas of the planet. It is unknown what origin they are of, with a possibility being they were brought from several differing worlds during early colonization. '''Squig-' A pest unwillingly released shortly after the formation of the Araftan Craters during the Great Waaagh of Warboss Rullagh the Similarly Great. However, the particular strain of Squig was deemed (marginally) safe for consumption, and so were marked for hunting by Planetary Governor Kornas. In reality, it is believed the PDF were too spread out to effectively wipe them out in time, and so the mandate was made to hide their marked state of weakness to the locals. So far, no ork spores have been discovered, although it is feared it is only a matter of time before such spores are found. Regimental History * Cadian 101st Regiment- recognized honorably by most Dystian planets as their 0th regiment, this regiment was the one that lead a crucial strategic engagement in the '''Redacted crusade. They stayed in the sub-sector for the remainder of their history, and are believed to have been absorbed in the many populouses they protected. * Tezarda IV 1st Regiment- founded in the planet's early frontier days, long before the mechanicus intervention. Famed for their chefs' ability to make their rations edible. Gave their last full measure in the Damocle's crusade. * Tezarda IV 4th Reconnaissance Regiment (former)- a rough rider regiment founded for a forgotten war, but notable for its composition of horses. Crippled beyond salvation and merged with the 9th to form the basis of the 10th. The number was reclaimed in 755.M41 by a Rapid Reconnaissance Regiment. * Tezarda IV 9th Infantry Regiment- founded from the best fifth of the PDF during the early days of the T'au's second sphere of expansion. Noted for being composed from both the rural and AdMech sides of Tezarda. Their emphasis on line infantry almost wiped them out to a man in the Damocles Crusade; surviving members were absorbed into the following regiment after the closure of the crusade. * Tezarda IV 10th Reconnaissance Regiment- a rough rider regiment, despite being promised to have war vehicles by the mechanicus. Was heavily penalized and was to be disbanded for its unauthorized deployment, but pardoned for heroic valor after assisting Foretta forces on Barthe. Assisted Uristus IX in an Ork infestation before being sent off-sector to combat Redacted. Current whereabouts: unknown. * Tezarda IV 4th Reconnaissance Regiment (later)- founded in preparation for an upcoming Tau war. The first regiment to utilize vehicles such as Tauros and bikes. Worked closely with several other Dystian regiments on Foretta V, despite their general mistrust of one another. * Tezarda IV 12th Regiment- founded shortly after noted success of the Tezarda IV 4th Rapid Reconnaissance Regiment. * Tezarda IV 16th Regiment- a peculiar regiment, is characterized to be composed chiefly by cavalry, such as that of the 3rd. It is unknown why such a force was founded in this manner, but they remain an effective rough rider regiment regardless. * Tezarda IV 19th Regiment- founded once again from the PDF of Tezarda. These guardsmen are the survivors of the terrible warp openings on Tezarda IV that started after the opening of the great rift, and as such know of the terrible manifestations of the Warp. They're armed by the mechanicus and given a suicide mission- to push off the pirates and heretics as far back into the Great Rift as they can. What they know cannot be shared. Gallery File:Meeting_the_mechanicus_by_spider4444bme.jpg|The historic agreement between Techpriest Sharvek Sodenemis and Planetary Governor Adorana Uristus. Category:Agri-Worlds Category:Imperial Guard Category:Imperial Guard Homeworld Category:Imperial Planets Category:Imperium Category:Planets